The Void

A world At the beginning of it's end, or the end of it's beginning, depending on your perspective.

This Playgroup has open memberships. But you must Sign up or Log in to join.

Latest World Events

Posted by SeedofEntropy, 1 week, 4 days ago. Permalink

Environmentalist Shut Down.

The Democrat Republic of the Congo has denied all access to the rainforest of the Congo due to new Environmental Laws to preserve this national treasure. This has brought the government under fire from other governments who have scientists and researchers inside the jungle currently, but the DRC assures everyone that the civilians will be found and returned unharmed. (As much as one can be in the while jungles of the congo.)

Posted by RNGrant, 1 week, 6 days ago. Permalink

Massive Volcanic explosions all over Hawaii! Hundreds of thousands dead!

It started small. The water was warmer than expected. There were a few tremors.

Then all at once, the volcanos of Kilauea, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea went off all at once with eruptions greater than has been observed in living memory.

Rivers of lava flowed down to cities, while ash blotted out the Sun. 

Over the course of hours, all Volcanos previously dormant, or minor began erupting with enormous force, both on the islands, and in the ocean around Hawaii.

The coast guard, and United States navy has been called in to evacuate the survivors, as the eruptions seem to only be growing more intense.

Latest Journals

1 week, 2 days ago: Alice Abernathy wrote a Downtime Journal for Alpha

The higher I rise, the more I see.

I think I'm still alive.  I'm.. not entirely sure.

Maybe this is all a hallucination still.  First it was the dreams. Then it was the visions. Now it's everything. I no longer have any idea what is real, and what is not. I think it will pass.  In one way or another.  The diagrams were right.  I think.  But everything is... I don't know.  My thoughts aren't stable.  They'll stabilize, or I'll die.  I know that implicitly. 

Mel comes into my room sometimes.  He brings me soup, and a cold rag.  I think.  Maybe I'm imagining that too. 

[The pages are stained with drops of sweat.]

I shouldn't be writing.  I should try to be sleeping.  But I'm worried if I just sleep I'll slip away entirely.  I'm struggling to not.  I'll make it though.

[The next page has a much more steady paw.  It has only a few words on it.]

I made it though to the other side.

1 week, 3 days ago: Chris wrote a Downtime Journal for Ad Infinitum

So there was a reunion...

Spoilers for "This Is a Lot"

 

Mark, the guy I left in that paved wasteland to be with Winsley showed back up! That was weird. Guy seemed better, but I think Winsley helped clean him up before their contract together. Weirdly he didn't even seem to mind seeing me even though I left him to rot. In fact, he gave me the key he tried to use to keep me in that hellscape. Apparently, he had to exchange Chesters, his had been stolen and recovered. Winsley helped him repack it with more useful stuff, seriously that guy had junk in that thing. Then he knocked "Shave and a Haircut" onto a closet door and went back to that place like he knew he'd be back.

Enough about that, this key is awesome! Screw hot-wiring vehicles, this thing you just point at the vehicle, press the button, a little weird energy shoots into the thing and BAM! The vehicle works like it was the real key! It takes a little willpower to use, but that's hardly much price to pay. Apparently it works better in its home dimension, but who gives a fuck it works like a charm here!

2 weeks, 4 days ago: Lev wrote a Downtime Journal for Ashes to ashes

It was all real

I'm having issues. I uh.. think I saw something down the stairs to the basement in the house. So I'm leaving the lights on in the shop and the basement. Feels safer. Somehow. I just can't deal with the dark. Not after the things I saw.

Ok other issue. I'm magnetic now. Somehow. Like spoons and shit stick to me. I can control it a little? It's not some conspiracy vaccine thing, LITERALLY MAGNETIC. I got a few magnets the other day and there's something a bit odd I can do with em, little trick, I can't believe. It's the locks. Me and a magnet open any lock. Door lock, zap, box latch? ZAP. I can even start a lorry if I got a magnet on me. Considering my hobbies this is actually hilarious. I don't even need a kit or picks or bobbies or nothing. ZAP, no issue. It's real. They give you powers if you go risk your life. Which means the wold is really ending. Starting like this. I'm in SHOCK. little joke but seriously this is not good. I need to call the others.

2 weeks, 5 days ago: Char wrote a Downtime Journal for Ashes to ashes

Fencing Lessons

After I returned from my first freelance contract, master was happy to see me.  He was worried that these activities would highlight activities related to his school.  So he pulled me aside and performed a magic spell.

I felt my reflexes sharpen with my rapier almost instantly.  Despite his advanced age, the master requested a quick fencing match.  I of course won, but he did say he noticed the difference in my skill and speed.  Douglas the Third has been kind to me.  It seems he does wish me the best.

Douglas the Fourth had his children over today as well.  It's always a pleasure to see the children.  Although it can can be difficult to keep them out of the Master's study.  He has some very sensitive arcane experiments going on there, and he'd rather them not be disturbed.

It is what it is, but it was nice not staying in the mansion.

4 weeks, 1 day ago: Owl wrote a Downtime Journal for Mall Rats

Taking care of my new… daughter?

Owl collapses into the sofa.

 

Red is off in the woods in Winsley’s property.

 

”Damn, I probably owe Mel something for this good a connection… I’m sure it will come with a cost.”

 

Owl pulls out a notebook. There are sketches in it. Ideas that won’t leave her mind. A flight pack now.

 

”Yeah Lamb, I get it. Don’t need to tell me I’m crazy.”

 

Owl rests her head again the back of the sofa

 

”the fucked thing is that I feel a lot better. Maybe because I saved her. But honestly… it feels like it’s because as much as you needed me Little Lamb, I needed you.”

 

Owl looks down at her hands.

 

”I’m not a good person. I don’t really care about that most of the time. But when it was just me…” 

 

Owl takes out a cigarette and moves to the back Porch. Checks that Red can’t see her, then lights it.

 

”when it was just me I was anchor less. I had some freedom, but only myself to use it for. And I don’t really care about myself.”

 

Owl looks out. Extinguishes her cigarette.

 

”I cared about you Lamb. And now I have her to care for. I hope that goes better for the both of us.”

1 month ago: Owl wrote a Downtime Journal for Ad Infinitum

Dreams

In her dreams,

 
Owl is in prison. Watching Lamb slowly fade away, her spark dying.
---
She got them both out. But they need to be hard people now. Trained to kill. Lamb is better now but... hesitant. This life is still hard on her. But at least she's free. Together they'll both be okay. Owl will make it okay
---
She's covering up more of Lambs failures. Working double duty, manipulating some records. She'll learn, she'll grow. This is the only way. She can manage this. Lamb will be fine.
---
It's rainy. Lamb is in a homeless shelter half a mile away.

Why would she make you do this?

She's the closest thing Owl had to family, and now.... Everyone else would be worse. Snake and Eel were considered for this job.

 Lamb is young that an example would stick.

Breath in. Half out. Hold.

This will be faster. Safer.

For a moment Lamb looks out the window. She seems relaxed. Calm in a way she hasn't been in years. That spark she had back when they were first in prison together.

Why are you making me do this Lamb? I've given you so much, I've been with you almost half your life was it to hard to adapt to what needed to be done? Why couldn't you just Change!

From 2000 feet away, Owl kills her heart.

A breath. It's done.

"Why couldn't You change?"

Something on the wind. That's not her. It will pass.

It doesn't.
---
Angry jobs. Reckless jobs. Owl tries all of them. Just to make herself feel something different. Lamb talks to her every night. It's getting worse or anything. She's spiraling, she feels... Trapped

Owl wakes. Startled a little. Hand twitches towards her gun. But no. She's lying on something soft.

Fox

She looks at Lamb beside her. No. Red. She reaches out an arm and pulls her close.

She is safe. She doesn't need to do anything she doesn't want to. Kill anyone she doesn't want to.

She wiggles a bit so Fox will hold her and Red closer.

And in that tight hold, she is free.

// Plagiarizing that last line from Worm, great serial
1 month ago: Mel wrote a Downtime Journal for Lost and found

Mel's heart breaks

Mel looks at his computer. An eyepatch covering his eye as it recovers. Jacko ( <@592429550223491075>  don't need to do anything) is in the background doing... something. He has food, a place to sleep safe. Is that enough? Mel isn't good at this. He built his life around one thing. Mel rewinds.

Looking at Alice's face. 

_Well not just one thing._

 Mel let's Jacko keep doing what he does... He doesn't know how to do this. He never really has. He was a Dad because he needed to be, because Alice needed him, and he protects Jacko because Jacko needs someone, and...

Mel rewinds.

3 people in the back, one heavily injured. The voice could be compared, hunted down that way. If this is a contractor, which is a safe bet, then there are likely patterns. Patterns that will continue over the next months, making finding them a matter of time. Doesn't matter how magical you are when you are asleep.

His fingers twitch. His brow furrows. 

_That isn't what she wanted_

Computer off

Mel looks around his room. Mostly bare. Tools for his cases, boards where he kept things of interest. A number of files on what he knows of Alice Abernanthy's family, and her history. Collected subtly, just confirming what he already knew.

A life full of one thing, his work. Except for the pictures.

Near his bed, him at Alice's high school graduation. She looked so happy, and in that moment, he thought he did it. All the struggles worth it. For all he failed, at least she is here, healthy, safe, and ready to go out on her own.

He heads into the hallway. A picture of him carrying her on his back. They had gone to an amusement park for her birthday. He got a call from work, and had spent an hour talking though the history of a case, and suspects, and his analysis from the crime scene. She had been so made. That was before she really got why what he did was important. He bought her ice cream, and soon enough she was happy again. Tuckered out at the end of the day, he had a stranger borrow his camera.

He really wasn't ready for her. He could have tried harder. Spent more time...

Mel moves to a closet in the hall. A large wooden chest in the corner. Cracks it open. A photo album. He picks it up. 

He moves into Alice's room. He looks around the room. 

There's a bunch of comic book posters, and a little bookshelf that has a stack of comics in protective sleeves. It's only a third full. On the wall above the shelf is an issue of her favorite that she was so, so proud when she got off E-bay - a real collectors item. (Assuming similar comic situation as our world: ) Suicide Squad #38. The first full appearance of Oracle - the hero that Batgirl became after she was paralyzed. She probably explained that storyline at length to Mel, a few different times.
The rest of the room is fairly sparse - she had a desk in it, with some fidget toys laid out for when she came back.

Mel looks at the comic. A mix of feelings. 

_Did I glorify this life to her? Is this because of me?_

He sits down on her bed. He opens the photo album. 

Alice when he met her, carrying her out of the space she was hidding.

Alice with the adoption papers.

Alice at a party.

Alice, Alice, Alice... Now only images... For now.

Mel looks around the room.

He furrows his brow. Using an ability new to him, he says two names. Alice's birth name. And Alice Melborn . At Alice Melborn Alice responds.



1 month ago: Alice Abernathy wrote a Downtime Journal for This is a lot

Things are getting worse again.

Things have just been slowly getting worse again.  They're forgetting.  They're starting to take things away from me, and.. I don't know.  Everyone is starting to get on edge.  Kel is afraid, and I wish I could hug her.  My hackles are raised, and things are wrong.  Everyone knows it.  People are talking.  Even the guards are a bit stressed, I can tell.  They get more violent when they're stressed. 

I.. I think it's happening to the scientists too, I don't know what to think of it. I'm scared.

I stole a weapon from one of the labs and I'm keeping it close just in case I need to protect myself.  What else can I do?  It's not like I can escape.  And even if I did they'd just use my collar to kill me... and even if they didn't, there's just endless forest around.   There's nowhere to go.

There's something happening there's gunshots and screaming downstairs. 

Loading...

Much like our own basic mundane life, with one exception. a shadowy organization has made advances beyond what we know today. Nothing is known of this group, or what they have accomplished, both good and ill.

Supernaturals Do Exist, but are mostly hidden, both out of fear of discovery, or because they have been captured or killed by this secret government.

Many things are slowly progressing the world into an untimely end, and depending on the actions (or inactions) of the chosen few, there may not be a tomorrow to look forward to.

House Rules

Contractors from The Void Are NOT portable, and may NOT visit other Playgroups to participate in Contracts.
The Void grants 6 Experience points to GMs who achieve the Golden Ratio.

A full Write up in progress

Full Setting Description

The pictures of Nessy, the rumors of the Jersy Devil, and Sightings of big foot are all true, But just like in our world, these "Mythical" Cryptids stay hidden. the vast majority of humanity shrugs them off as myths. Corporate tycoons and Governments are the real monsters!

The contractors are Chosen as potential pawns in the guiding of the end times. Whether they know the end is near or not is irrelevant. They may believe they can stop it from coming they may believe it is inevitable and are simply trying to soften the blow. They may be trying to end it themselves. 

 

Known Organizations that have impact and can be used in character creation Beyond what is in out real life world.

 

the Laxentry Foundation: a corporation that seems to have bottomless pockets, and a need to have their fingers in everything. From cloning, to computers. From burrowing into the center of the earth, to C.E.R.N. research into ripping holes into other dimensions. In almost any form of research, you will see the (L) brand as a sponsor. 

 

Eden Reseach: An environmental research group looking into ways to right the corruption humans have spread upon the earth, as well as developing cures for diseases and natural remedies in attempt to retake the market from Pharmaceuticals. 

 

World Events

Posted by SeedofEntropy, 1 week, 4 days ago. Permalink

Environmentalist Shut Down.

The Democrat Republic of the Congo has denied all access to the rainforest of the Congo due to new Environmental Laws to preserve this national treasure. This has brought the government under fire from other governments who have scientists and researchers inside the jungle currently, but the DRC assures everyone that the civilians will be found and returned unharmed. (As much as one can be in the while jungles of the congo.)

Posted by RNGrant, 1 week, 6 days ago. Permalink

Massive Volcanic explosions all over Hawaii! Hundreds of thousands dead!

It started small. The water was warmer than expected. There were a few tremors.

Then all at once, the volcanos of Kilauea, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea went off all at once with eruptions greater than has been observed in living memory.

Rivers of lava flowed down to cities, while ash blotted out the Sun. 

Over the course of hours, all Volcanos previously dormant, or minor began erupting with enormous force, both on the islands, and in the ocean around Hawaii.

The coast guard, and United States navy has been called in to evacuate the survivors, as the eruptions seem to only be growing more intense.

Owl made a Move (WaterInMilk GMed) 1 month ago. View Move

Small Texas sheriff's office the target of explosive jailbreak.

A reporter stands in front of a partially destroyed sheriffs office in a quiet town outside of Dallas. The sun hasn't come up yet and dark, heavy circles round the reporters eyes. Dallas police, the local fire department, and paramedics crowd the scene behind them. The sheriff can be seen being transported on a stretcher into an ambulance which quickly speeds away. 

"Just a few hours ago 2 armed assailants blew open the wall to the holding cell of this local sheriff's office. This was all in order to free one 'Denis Borchov' who, alongside their armed partners, are currently the subject of a multi-state wide manhunt. The Sheriff who was working late into the night was hit by gunfire but is expected to make a full recovery. More as this story develops on channel 7."

Posted by Nacilion, 1 month ago. Permalink

Bloodbath by Vlissingen

The news from Netherlands came in with one reportage:

Cas Bakker, the crane worker, who didn't come home on events of the night. His family called the police for missing man. They found him unscathed, shivering in crane cabin.

Police found numerous dead bodies in the docks by town of Vlissingen. One survivor speaks about group of individuals going in and talking about some kind of artefact.

"Yeah, there was a little guy who borrowed my knife, and then an old man with suitcase. They wanted were talking about sharks and artefacts and then I had to wait here until morning." - Cas Bakker

"We are going trough evidence. Owners of warehouses agreed on centralised camera system under police control to secure safety." - Police speaker

On the spot were found many military grade weaponry, but army denies involvement. What lead to that? Who were the mysterious group? Stay tuned. 

Posted by WaterInMilk, 2 months, 1 week ago. Permalink

38 people dead, many more injured after mass murder at Mob owned nightclub. perpetrator missing.

Authorities are shocked this morning as a night club in down town Miami was attacked by a John Doe. Video from the even shows a man shooting electricity from a guitar into the crowd before throwing a knife into a waitress. in the ensuing panic 35 people lost their lives due to being trampled. The suspect claims a "Ranger Dan" coerced him into doing it and he appeared to be having a mental episode.

Police are still conducting a full investigation into the matter however we have gotten reports from a anonymous trusted source that the suspect escaped police custody and a nationwide manhunt is underway. The parks and wildlife service are conducting an internal investigation for this "Ranger Dan" though nothing has been reported so far. more after this break.
 

Posted by SeedofEntropy, 3 months ago. Permalink

Breaking news!

A wave of disappearances and brutal deaths in the eastern Colorado have police concerned. While the the incidents seem to be isolated to the rural regions, the frequency seems to be escalating, as is the brutality of the crimes when victims are found. Government officials suspect a rabid mountain lion. Residents are strongly advised to remain in their homes after dark, with doors locked. 

In other news, Laxentry Corporation is under investigation for their unauthorized use of an old abandoned railroad. While it has been found that the super Corp did buy the rights to the track, no one involved, including the DOT, was informed. The only reason this oversight was discovered was due to the second investigation involved here, which involves the possible abduction of 4 people. These four people woke up on the train with no memory of how they got there. After escaping the train, they phoned police, and were rescued unharmed. 

Posted by RNGrant, 4 months ago. Permalink

More mysterious disapearances.

A short news clip

"CEO Justine Holly disappeared yesterday. Her wife said she was picking out some new rugs and decorations from IKEA. Her car was found untouched in the parking lot."

Just one person. Not enough to notice as an individual.

Unless you look at the pattern.

All around the world. Bit by bit. People going missing. Sometimes important people. Ones that kept the plates spinning. Gone without a trace. Never an explanation. Always similar situations.

When pulling bits out of an engine, a car will break pretty quickly

How many critical people need to be pulled out of society before it breaks?

Posted by SeedofEntropy, 5 months ago. Permalink

Hurricane Sadie Racks Florida: Tragedy at FantasticLand Theme Park

Last month, a hurricane more powerful than any in history fully broadsided the eastern coast of Florida. The effects of the hurricane, dubbed Hurricane Sadie, were felt along the totality of the Florida shoreline. The wind and subsequent flooding destroyed power grids, battered inland businesses, and left hundred of thousands homeless. Local authorities were instantly outmatched. The National Guard was dispatched but we’re in over their heads. The Red Cross could only help so much. Two weeks later, thousands of people had died, not of drowning or the direct effects of the storm, but of neglect, exposure, and a lack of fresh water. Some smaller communities were not contacted until almost a month after the storm, in most cases far too late to do any good. Before the FantasticLand story broke, the phrase "America's Shame" had been attached to the response effort and was gaining traction.

It was only when the situation came under a reasonable amount of control, and billions in federal government aid had been disbursed, that the story of FantasticLand hit with a crash that shattered all other news stories about the disaster. It sounded like an urban legend at first--far too "out there" to be real. Only after the ruins of the once mighty amusement park appear in online video footage did it become clear that the worst stories were true. Shockingly true, unbelievably true, but undeniable.

Of the 326 employees who stayed behind in the park, 207 were eventually evacuated. The fate of the 119 missing souls may never be known, but evidence of death and slaughter was immediately apparent. Photos soon emerged: heads on spikes outside of rides, corpses floating in detention cells, and viscera decaying in the humid Florida sun. FantasticLand, where "Fun Is Guaranteed!", was covered in blood. There were human bones littering the gift shops. It was all the country could talk about. The coverage crossed all media, breaking records for hits, views, likes, clicks, and shares.

The most indelible images, the one most of the public saw first, is among the most haunting photos of the past fifty years. Captured by photojournalist Ophir Bouhouche, the photo shows the seventy-five-foot-tall FantasticLand logo, a bright red Exclamation Point at the center of the 2,200-acre amusement park, shattered into thousands of jagged pieces on the ground. In its place, a crude yardarm stretches between support towers that once held the Exclamation Point in place. Hanging from the plank are five bodies, strung by their necks. Two nooses are empty, the bodies visible on the ground. One has simply fallen. The other has been decapitated. Behind the bodies, a sign boasts in bright red letters, FUN IS GUARANTEED!

Reinforcements were called immediately. By the time employees broke their silence and began telling their stories, the media were scrambling and desperate to get on the scene. Unfortunately for FantasticFun Inc., the legal owner of the park, an uploaded video showed National Guard troops entering the park the very day a press conference downplaying the carnage was held. The footage aired side by side on most networks. Details began to emerge, bringing with them a flood of unanswerable, terrible questions.

How could a group of survivors, mostly children, commit such terrible acts? How could survivors with the best possible circumstances in which to weather the storm and its aftermath produce the worst possible result? What does this say about our children? Ourselves? Is every American teenager just a few short steps away from bloodthirsty savagery? How do we prevent this in the future? Was an American institution that had provided joy to children since the 1970s fatally harmed by this incident, or is redemption possible?"

 

This event was even more remarkable by the fact that there was no warning about this hurricane. Like many other weather Phenomenon in the news lately, This storm appeared over night, Right off the coast. Nothing like this has happened in recorded history. 

Posted by SeedofEntropy, 1 year, 9 months ago. Permalink

RIFTS!!!

Texarkana within Pilos, Maelstrom, and ****** now have portals ripped into Texarkana Texas. 

View all World Events